Interview with Jacinta Mpalyenkana for AuthorMePro

APKY/AMP: Hello Jacinta, and welcome to this interview with AuthorMeProfessionals. Could you please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer. What inspired you to write your first book?

What inspired me to write my first book are my experiences when I immigrated to the US. Apparently, I faced challenges beyond anything I had ever witnessed. In the search for answers to heal my life, I compiled and wrote the book. Although, it wasn’t my prime intention to publicize it, upon completion and after trying out all the strategies and tips that I had discovered, my life started changing for the better. Hence the inspiration to revise, and publish the book, with hope that it will inspire and change someone’s life.

APKY/AMP: I’m sure it will assist many lives, Jacinta. So what genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

APKY/AMP: Wow! I can’t even bring myself to read horror. ;) Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Not all that doesn’t glitter is not gold. Appearances can be deceiving; which implies that one needs to become a constant witness of his/her environment and avoid rushing into conclusions. For this state of mind to be attained, he/she has to be determined and enthusiastic in focusing on the positives in his/her life, and also develop unwavering faith that, there is something bigger than all of us that can take care of all our problems.

APKY/AMP: That true. Tell me what you’ve had published to-date?

I published an inspirational book last year – 07/23/2011. It is titled – Do Not Force It, Tap The Good.

APKY/AMP: Sounds like great advice. Do you have any more advice for other writers?

What I would generally advise writers although I am certain that they already know, is to set deadlines and maintain a sustainable level of discipline in order to meet them.

APKY/AMP: I’m trying to deal with that myself. J Why should we buy your book?

It is based on real life experiences and facts from researches that I carried out, with intent to solve some of the mysteries of life. Furthermore, the book provides attested procedures and tips that can inspire and elevate one’s life if followed thoroughly.

APKY/AMP: Very good reasons. How much of the marketing do you do for your published works or indeed for yourself as a ‘brand’?

95% - I blog weekly. I have also published the book in all formats, including eKindle, Audio and Paperback.

APKY/AMP: Wow, that’s a lot of work. Jacinta, you could also blog for us then. Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions and do you think they help with a writer’s success?

No.

APKY/AMP: With all the work you do Jacinta, you’ll get there soon enough. Is there a special place that you prefer when you write?

Not really. As long as the place is quiet and serene, I can write.

APKY/AMP: That’s me too. I can’t how some writers do that while listening to pop music! J Do you write under a pseudonym? If so why and do you think it makes a difference?

No.

APKY/AMP: Okay. Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

No I don’t have an agent. However I think any help is vital for an author’s success.

APKY/AMP: Correct, but thank technology most of us can now get to readers too. What are you working on at the moment / next?

I am in the final stages of completing my second book (Self-help genre). It should be out in less than a Month.

APKY/AMP: We’ll keep a lookout for it. Do you manage to write every day?

Yes.

APKY/AMP: Short and sweet! So what is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

In my opinion, writer’s block is mainly elevated when negative, unfavorable or even exciting moments overwhelm the writer. I suffer from it occasionally especially when I stop being a witness of the world around me. Sometimes it comes when I worry about things, or don’t have enough rest. I cure myself by meditating, taking a walk, getting a massage or doing anything else that relaxes me. At times, I read what other people have written which inspires me to continue with my own projects.

APKY/AMP: Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and off you are with it?

For the most part, I get ideas and off I go with them.

APKY/AMP: J Yours truly too, but that could be because I’m a bit too chaotic to do outlines. Do you have a method for creating your characters, their names and what do you think makes them believable?

Not sure yet; since I am yet to write a fiction book.

APKY/AMP: Okay. Then reveal to us who your first reader is – who do you first show your work to?

My boyfriend.

APKY/AMP: Lucky man to have such trust from his lady! Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

As time goes on my writing is more fully-formed.

APKY/AMP: Practice does make perfect. Do you write on paper or do you prefer a computer?

I prefer a computer. However, I sleep with a note book next to me for when ideas pop up in the middle of the night.

APKY/AMP: Most of us do that, I’ve learnt. What point of view do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? Have you ever tried second person?

Not sure what the question means.

APKY/AMP: Nothing earthmoving really – it just means: first person is the “I wait/ed for the rain to stop.” Second is “You wait/ed for the rain to stop.” Third is the “Sarah waits/waited for the rain to stop in midtown Sydney just as her friend in New York’s 5th Avenue sits/sat down to read the evening paper, a fire crackling in front of him.” So there it is! Could you let us know what you like to read?

Self-help books; Spiritual, Metaphysical and humor.

APKY/AMP: Fabulous. What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks?

APKY/AMP: Wow, Jacinta. Anything you aren’t good at? Anyway jokes aside, thank you for the interview. I now invite you to include an extract of your writing:

(Taken from the Introduction)

Life, as often quoted, is a game. Some play it with bliss and excitement, and others spend it suffering and living in poverty, disease and insanity. Moreover, we are the actors of our own lives. Incarnated into this world designed as a theatre, we are intended with the will to choose what part to play and how to play it. God offers this awesome gift of life and it is up to us to act the way we deem most appropriate, until we finally depart back to wherever our souls come from. Fortunately, we are empowered with the gift of choice. We have the liberty to choose which direction to take and decisions to make. Some people do ‘act” their lives more purposefully than others. They see only possibility and enthusiastically welcome challenges as opportunities to tap the good out of the bad. They enlist everything they possess and utilize their qualities in order to come out of their discomforting situations. They end up with Oscars, fame, wealth, happiness and health. They live each day like it were their last, never giving up, upbeat, always learning and appreciating everything as a gift in whatever context it prevails, favorable or the contrary.

"All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter" is a poem written by J. R. R. Tolkien for his fantasy novel; The Lord of the Rings. It alludes to an integral part of the plot. The poem reads:

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

The above can be summarized in a single quote; "Never judge a book by its cover." The cover is just the envelope of the package. Until you open it, and read the entire content in the book, you cannot conclude the author’s objectives. The same logic applies to life and how it reveals itself to each one of us.

APKY/AMP: Very wise. Thank you once again, Jacinta and I wish you all the best in your future.